Speeding round the harbour, at The Gap
Another surprise for us to today, although I had an idea what lay in store for us. We - Manda, Wendy and myself - were to meet Andy at Darling Harbour at lunchtime for 'something'. As we munched our way through lunch at Cockle Bay Wharf, Wendy kept checking her watch. Where were they? We were looking out towards the marina, which suggested boats, which suggested Craig's speed boat ... and they duly arrived - Craig, Andy, Jo and Sïan and Alex. After joining us for a spot of lunch themselves, we all jumped in the boat and sped off west further in to the harbour, passing under the Anzac Bridge. Nearby stood the massive cruisers belonging to, well, who knows, Arab sheiks, multi-millionaire celebrities. All I know is that they were hooj, very shiny and the kind of thing that only the seriously minted could consider as a plaything.
About turn, then off east towards the tip of the South Head, or Watson's Bay to be precise. We drew up out the front of Doyles Bar, a well known pub which was extremely busy on this gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon. What a way to turn up in style! At Doyles, we collected a few take-out bottles of beer and sat in the park, admiring the view of the city in the distance, soaking up the clement weather and getting in to the whole chilled-out atmosphere we found ourselves part of.
Mind the Gap
After a couple of beers, Andy, Manda and myself took a walk up the 'The Gap', a coastal walk along the South Head looking out to the ocean and to the North Head and beyond. The views were amazing, as were the rock formations which almost seem to be fluid in their construction along the peaks, yet when you looked down at the base of the cliffs, the rocks were almost carved into squares. Very strange geological things going on, and it made you wonder how those shapes could have been formed by mere water erosion alone.
After a brief stroll back down to meet the others, we hopped back in the boat and sped off to Rose Bay where Craig's pick-up was. They pulled the boat back up off the jetty and headed home, as did Manda and I (by taxi). We were feeling very tanned and a bit worn out. Too much good weather for one day!
Once back in familiar surroundings (Campbell Parade), we did a spot of gift-buying - a belly pendant for Wendy and another bottle of Scotch for Andy to replace the sadly missed bottle which was now solidifying in the corners of the kitchen. Another local meal - this time in an Italian in Bondi - and our day was done. If only all Sundays could be like this.